Reuters
Mon, January 6, 2025
Offshore oil rig in California
(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will ban new offshore oil and gas development along most U.S. coastlines, a decision President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to boost domestic energy production, may find difficult to reverse.
The move is considered mostly symbolic, as it will not impact areas where oil and gas development is currently underway, and mainly covers zones where drillers have no important prospects, including in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The White House said on Monday that Biden will use his authority under the 70-year-old Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect all federal waters off the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of the northern Bering Sea in Alaska. The ban will affect 625 million acres (253 million hectares) of ocean.
Biden said the move was aligned with both his efforts to combat climate change and his goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
He also invoked the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the low drilling potential of the areas included in the ban did not justify the public health and economic risks of future leasing.
"My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation's energy needs," Biden said in a statement. "It is not worth the risks."
Around 15% of U.S. oil production comes from federal offshore acreage, mainly in the Gulf of Mexico, a share that has been falling sharply in the last decade as drilling onshore booms, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The United States is now the world's top oil and gas producer thanks to big increases in production from places like Texas and New Mexico, fueled by improved drilling technology and strong demand since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement comes as Trump has pledged to reverse Biden's conservation and climate change policies when he takes office later this month.
"It's ridiculous. I'll unban it immediately. I will unban it. I have the right to unban it immediately," Trump said in an interview on the Hugh Hewitt radio program.
During his term, Biden also limited new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters, drawing criticism from drilling states and companies.
But the Lands Act, which allows presidents to withdraw areas from mineral leasing and drilling, does not grant them the legal authority to overturn prior bans, according to a 2019 court ruling - meaning a reversal would likely require an act of Congress. That order came in response to Trump's effort to reverse Arctic and Atlantic Ocean withdrawals made by former President Barack Obama at the end of his presidency.
Trump also used the Lands Act to ban sales of offshore drilling rights in the eastern Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida through 2032. Biden's decision will protect the same area with no expiration.
It is unclear whether lawmakers would support reversing Biden's decision to protect these waters.
An oil and gas industry trade group said the decision would harm American energy security and should be reversed.
"We urge policymakers to use every tool at their disposal to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing," American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers said in a statement.
Environmental group Oceana called it a victory for Americans who depend on clean coastlines and fisheries.
"Our treasured coastal communities are now safeguarded for future generations,” Oceana Campaign Director Joseph Gordon said in a statement.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Mark Porter)
Biden Uses 72-Year-Old Law to Give Trump a Slap in the Face Before MAGA 2.0
Leigh Kimmins
The potential move only covers offshore activity / Jason Redmond/Reuters
“Congress and the incoming administration should fully leverage the nation’s vast offshore resources as a critical source of affordable energy, government revenue and stability around the world,” Sommers said. “We urge policymakers to use every tool at their disposal to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing.”
Biden highlighted in his announcement the bipartisan support that has been given to protecting certain areas from drilling.
“From California to Florida, Republican and Democratic Governors, Members of Congress, and coastal communities alike have worked and called for greater protection of our ocean and coastlines from harms that offshore oil and natural gas drilling can bring,” Biden said.
Leigh Kimmins
DAILY BEAST
Mon, January 6, 2025
Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
President Joe Biden is taking action to protect 625 million acres of offshore areas from future oil and gas drilling, the White House announced Monday, in a move which could frustrate plans of the incoming Donald Trump administration.
Biden is invoking the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to prevent new fossil fuel developments off the East and West coasts of the U.S. as well as in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s North Bering Sea.
The law gives presidents the power to permanently withdraw parts of the Outer Continental Shelf from future oil and gas leasing—but doesn’t include a provision for how another president could revoke such an order. Trump would therefore likely have to get Congress to change the law before he could undo Biden’s action.
Biden’s decision, which could pose problems for Trump’s plans to quickly ramp up fossil fuel production when he returns to office this month, was condemned by Trump’s incoming press secretary.
“This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices,” Karoline Leavitt wrote in a post on X. “Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.”
This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill. https://t.co/NvWx7oA2vU
— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) January 6, 2025
In a statement, President Biden said drilling in the areas he’s seeking to protect “could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs.”
“It is not worth the risks,” Biden said. “As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren.”
Mike Sommers, the president of oil and gas industry group American Petroleum Institute, claimed in a statement that the Biden Administration decision is “politically motivated.”
Mon, January 6, 2025
Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
President Joe Biden is taking action to protect 625 million acres of offshore areas from future oil and gas drilling, the White House announced Monday, in a move which could frustrate plans of the incoming Donald Trump administration.
Biden is invoking the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to prevent new fossil fuel developments off the East and West coasts of the U.S. as well as in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s North Bering Sea.
The law gives presidents the power to permanently withdraw parts of the Outer Continental Shelf from future oil and gas leasing—but doesn’t include a provision for how another president could revoke such an order. Trump would therefore likely have to get Congress to change the law before he could undo Biden’s action.
Biden’s decision, which could pose problems for Trump’s plans to quickly ramp up fossil fuel production when he returns to office this month, was condemned by Trump’s incoming press secretary.
“This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices,” Karoline Leavitt wrote in a post on X. “Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.”
This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill. https://t.co/NvWx7oA2vU
— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) January 6, 2025
In a statement, President Biden said drilling in the areas he’s seeking to protect “could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs.”
“It is not worth the risks,” Biden said. “As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren.”
Mike Sommers, the president of oil and gas industry group American Petroleum Institute, claimed in a statement that the Biden Administration decision is “politically motivated.”
The potential move only covers offshore activity / Jason Redmond/Reuters
“Congress and the incoming administration should fully leverage the nation’s vast offshore resources as a critical source of affordable energy, government revenue and stability around the world,” Sommers said. “We urge policymakers to use every tool at their disposal to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing.”
Biden highlighted in his announcement the bipartisan support that has been given to protecting certain areas from drilling.
“From California to Florida, Republican and Democratic Governors, Members of Congress, and coastal communities alike have worked and called for greater protection of our ocean and coastlines from harms that offshore oil and natural gas drilling can bring,” Biden said.
Trump rips Biden’s offshore drilling restrictions: ‘I’ll unban it immediately’
Rachel Frazin
Rachel Frazin
THE HILL
Mon, January 6, 2025
President-elect Trump blasted President Biden’s decision to block oil drilling across large swaths of the U.S.’s coastlines, saying he will “unban it.”
“It’s ridiculous; I’ll unban it immediately,” Trump said during an interview Monday with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
However, it’s not totally clear whether he’ll be able to do so. During his previous term, Trump tried to reinstate drilling in areas blocked off by former President Obama, but he was blocked from doing so in court.
In 2019, a judge ruled that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act gives presidents the right to block drilling in certain areas but not to reinstate it.
Nevertheless, in the interview with Hewitt, Trump asserted he would be able to reverse Biden’s action.
“I have the right to unban it immediately,” he said.
“When I see somebody saying he’s going to ban 625 million acres, he doesn’t know what that is. He doesn’t even know what 625 million acres would look like, and we can’t let that happen to our country,” Trump added.
Biden’s move to ban new drilling in more than 625 million acres represents the largest-ever area where a president has blocked drilling.
However, Biden’s move applies to areas that have low, if any, levels of offshore drilling. It did not apply to the central and western Gulf of Mexico where most U.S. offshore drilling occurs.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Mon, January 6, 2025
President-elect Trump blasted President Biden’s decision to block oil drilling across large swaths of the U.S.’s coastlines, saying he will “unban it.”
“It’s ridiculous; I’ll unban it immediately,” Trump said during an interview Monday with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
However, it’s not totally clear whether he’ll be able to do so. During his previous term, Trump tried to reinstate drilling in areas blocked off by former President Obama, but he was blocked from doing so in court.
In 2019, a judge ruled that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act gives presidents the right to block drilling in certain areas but not to reinstate it.
Nevertheless, in the interview with Hewitt, Trump asserted he would be able to reverse Biden’s action.
“I have the right to unban it immediately,” he said.
“When I see somebody saying he’s going to ban 625 million acres, he doesn’t know what that is. He doesn’t even know what 625 million acres would look like, and we can’t let that happen to our country,” Trump added.
Biden’s move to ban new drilling in more than 625 million acres represents the largest-ever area where a president has blocked drilling.
However, Biden’s move applies to areas that have low, if any, levels of offshore drilling. It did not apply to the central and western Gulf of Mexico where most U.S. offshore drilling occurs.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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